Safety paper



Oct. 30, 1928.

B. w. SMITH I SAFETY PAPER Filed March 6, 1924 av Q. 9 9. 9 A 6 @95 As v95% i5 i L R Y m m E N N E 5 R W m T 1. 2 8 7 M L 0 YJ B 5 e e e we e e9 9 A? 3 av M? e e e ea? e e e 69% a ave Patented Oct. 30, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BURGESS W. SMITH, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR J.O THE TODD COMPANY,1110., OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A. CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SAFETY PAPER.

Application filed March 6, 1924. Serial No. 697,258.

, This invention'relates to safety papers for checks, drafts, bonds, andthe like, beingln the nature of an improvement upon the inventiondisclosed and claimed in my copendmg application for Letters Patent,Serial No.

532,334, filed Jan. 27, 1922, for protective papers and methodsof makingsame, of which the present application is inpart a continuation. Myprior invention comprises a safety paper provided with an indeliblemarking or symbol of an inherently warning character obscured orcamouflaged and rendered inconspicuous by an additional marking orpattern of a sensitive and deleble or fugitive nature adapted to beremoved by the action of chemical eradicatorsto thereby expose theindelible symbol to warn of unauthorized alteration. One object of thepresent invention is to obviate the use of such deleble markingsubstances with their tendency to fade in the course of time and toprovide a safety paper embodying the main'advantages of my priorinvention with the additional advantageous feature ofthe use of markingsubstances or inks all of an indelible and permanent nature, tothus-afford a paper of a more durable character particularly adapted forbonds, certificates and other instruments intended for useandpreservation over a long period of time. From a more specific aspect,this invention provides a safety paper having an indelible warningmarking obscured or camouflaged by an additional indelible marking, the

warning marking being applied by a sensitive ink adapted to be developedin tint or color and thus made to conspicuously appear through thecamouflaging when achemical eradicator is .applied to the paper. Afurther object is to provide a safety paper of an initially lighter tintor color affording a higher degree of legibility for matter writtenthereon and obtained by the use of a marking substance for the warningsymbols adapted to be altered or deepened in color by reaction withchemical eradicators making it practicable to apply such warning meansinitially in a relatively light tint or color so that the obscuring orcamouflaging marking and the finished paper may also be made light intint or color for the purpose stated. To these and other ends theinvention consists in certain improvements and combinations of parts,all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel featuresbeing pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings:

Figure 1' shows a check having the inven tion applied thereto with thewarning means developed by an attempted erasure at the figure space.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing the warning meanscamouflaged by anadditional marking.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 with additional camouflagingmatter, and

Figure 4 is an enlarged view showing the warnmg means.

Similar reference numerals throughout the several views indicate thesame parts.

Referring more particularly to'the drawings, Figure 1 shows a check madeof paper stock of any usual or suitable variety which, if desired, maycontain a chemical ingredient adapted to react with the usual bleachingsubstancesvor ink eradicators, to produce a conspicuous stain, as wellunderstood in the art. Such paper is marked or printed with a sign orsymbol of any suitable nature adapted to inherently express a warning ofthe invalidity of the instrument. Itis preferred to use a word for suchwarning means and particularly the word Void, as at 5, Figures 1 and 4,because of its universally recognized significance. Preferably also thisword is re-' peated in relatively small size and close arrangement overthe paper, or the writing spaces of the instrument made therefrom, so

as to protect all small portions such, for example, .as the spaceusually provided on a check for the inscription of the amount or valuethereof in figures.

To reduce the initial visibility of the warn in'g means and tofacilitate the camouflaging of the same by the additional marking hereafter described, the lines of the letters of the words are preferablybroken up into substantially isolated areas in the present instance inthe form of circular dots 6 best shown in Figure 4. The words themselvesare arranged in staggered relation to break up their alignanysubstantial distance.

ment and also to stagger the dots to prevent continuous alignment of thesame for any substantial distance.

The impression of the warning symbols in the form described above ismade with the use of an indelible ink of a composition adapted to reactwith andto be conspicuously altered or deepened in color by the actionof chemical reagents such as the usual bleaching or ink eradicatingsubstances as well known in the art. It has been found for example thatinks containing sensitive substances such as manganese ferro-cyanide,tolidine hydrochloride, benzedine sulphate or the like employed as amedium in a vehicle of oil varnish or water varnish having as its baseglycerine or gum arabic, are well adapted for this purpose. The ink maycontain any suitable substance for giving it the desired color whichshould be comparatively light to facilitate camouflaging by additionalprinted matter or patterns of a comparatively light tint, or should beinitially of such a color as to blend with the camouflaging, provided asuflicient proportion of the sensitive substance is employed to producea resulting color after reaction with an eradicator to render thewarning symbols conspicuously visible through the camouflaging pattern.

The additional matter for. obscuring or camouflaging the warning meansis preferably of such a nature as to produce a non-uniform lightreflecting action with which the dots forming the warning characters maybe commingled in such a way as to camouflage or render the lattersufficiently inconspicubus to prevent their observation in the use ofthe paper. It has been found, as described in my said copendingapplication, that this result is admirably accomplished with the use ofa pattern composed of a multiplicity of substantially isolated areas,preferably small dots, 7, Figure 2, repeated in proximity and in suchrelative arrangement as to prevent continuous alignment of the patternfor Preferably also such dots are printed in negative form as blanksurfaces on a printed ground 8. This latter arrangement and the use ofcircular elements as conventionally shown, Figure 2, makes a patternwhich is diflicult to counterfeit in the first place and to restore whenremoved as by abrasive treatment of the paper.

The additional camouflaging matter in the present instance comprises twoor more patterns as described above which may be com bined and printedsimultaneously or printed separately in succession and the arrangementor spacing of the elements or dots of two patterns so'employed ispreferably different to effect such a commingling of the elements of thepatterns and of the latter with the dots of the warning means that thelatter is effec tively camouflaged and its presence on the paperobscured. Figure 2 shows the warning means camouflaged by a singlepattern, while two such patterns are shown in Figure 3.

The camouflaging matter is printed in an indelible manner adapted toremain unchanged for an indefinite period of time so that all of themarking on the paper is of a permanent characterand the paper thusrendered suitable for the manufacture of instruments intended forpreservation. By applying the camouflaging pattern as an essentiallysurface impression, it is made to serve also as a protection againstattempts at alteration of matter Written on the paper by erasure throughabrasive treatment of the paper. When once so removed at a portion ofthe paper it is practically impossible to reform the pattern to restorethe paper to the appearance of surrounding portions.

When an attempt is made to alter matter written on paper as described,by the application of chemical reagents, the latter, in reaction withthe sensitive ink of the warning symbols, so alters or deepens the colorof the symbols, as by developing a dark color, as to render themconspicuously visible through the camouflaging pattern, as shown inFigure 1, where an eradicator has been applied at the figure space ofthe check, the camouflaging shown in F igure 3 being represented inFigure 1 by a conventional lining. Such appearance of the warning symbolVoid at once suggests the necessity for investigating thevalidity of theinstrument.

I claim as my invention:

1. A safety paper having an inherently warning character printed thereonin ink of an indelible character adapted to have its color conspicuouslyaltered by reaction with chemical 'eradicators, and having additionalmatter adapted to camouflage said warning character printed on saidpaper in indelible ink to obscure said warning character until thelatter is rendered conspicuous by the ap plication of said era'dicators.

2. A safety paper having an inherently warning character printed inrelatively small size and closely repeated arrangement therei on and inindelible ink of a character adapted .to react with and to have itscolor conspicuously altered by the application of chemical eradicatingmeans, and having a pattern adapted to camouflage said warningcharacters printed on the paper in indelible ink to obscure said Warningcharacters until the latter are rendered conspicuous by the applicationof said eradicating means.

3. A safety paper having one or more warning words printed in permanentand sensitive ink in repetition thereon with the lines of the letters ofsaid Words broken up into substanthereon. in indelible ink of acharacter of said eradicating means.

4. As an article of manufacture, a check made of safety paper having aninherently warning character printed in repetition adapted to have itscolor conspicuously altered by reaction with chemical ink eradicatw 5.As an article of manufacture, a check made of safety paper having oneor'more words expressing a warning printed in repetition thereon inindelible ink of a character adapted to have its color conspicuouslyaltered by reaction with chemical ink eradicating means, the lines ofthe letters of said words being broken up into substantially isolatedareas, and said paper having printed thereon also in indelible ink apattern composed of a multiplicity of substantially isolated areascombining with said warning words to camouflage and obscure the sameuntil developed by the application of said eradicating means.

BURGESS W. SMITH.

